Jinzhou Assorted Pickles

Jinzhou Assorted Pickles

　　Origin: Jinzhou, Liaoning Province, China.

　　Story: The Jinzhou Assorted Pickles were first created during the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty, boasting a production history of over 300 years. It is said that in a village called Xiaoyan Guo, located south of Jinzhou near the Bohai Bay, there lived a family surnamed Li who made their living by fishing and catching shrimp. Sometimes, they would pour leftover shrimp into a vat, sprinkle salt on them, and over time, a shrimp aroma would waft from the vat. The leftovers eventually turned into shrimp paste. Whenever it was mealtime, he would scoop some shrimp paste to eat with his rice and share it with neighbors. Those who tried it all praised its delicious taste. Later, he began to manage the process more carefully, increasing the frequency of sun exposure and stirring, which made the shrimp paste even tastier. When he brought it to the market for sale, it became very popular. One day, the Li family suddenly noticed a thin layer of oil floating on the surface of the shrimp paste. Upon tasting it, they found it quite savory, so they scooped some out and placed chopped vegetables like celery inside. A few days later, when they tasted it again, it was extremely delicious. Soon after, he also added small cucumbers, fermented black beans, and chili peppers to the shrimp oil, creating four kinds of shrimp oil pickles, which he named “Shrimp Oil Pickles.” In September of the 21st year of Emperor Kangxi’s reign (1682 AD), when the emperor traveled to Shenyang to worship ancestors and passed through Guangning Town, the magistrate of Jinzhou specially sent the shrimp oil pickles to the Kuanguan Pavilion, located south of the temporary palace in Guangning Town. After tasting them, the emperor repeatedly praised them. From then on, the shrimp oil pickles replaced the tribute shrimp and became an offering from Jinzhou.

　　Characteristics: Jinzhou Assorted Pickles are mainly made by pickling ten types of fresh and tender vegetables — such as small cucumbers, chili peppers, green beans, celery, kohlrabi, eggplant bulbs, yardlong beans, water chestnuts, shredded ginger, and almonds — along with shrimp oil. Each ingredient has strict quality requirements. In terms of color, the small cucumbers, chili peppers, celery, green beans, and yardlong beans should be emerald green; the shredded ginger bright yellow; the almonds snow white; the kohlrabi chunks red-yellow; and the water chestnuts dark brown. In flavor, they should be fresh, crisp, and palatable, with no bitterness, saltiness, or off-flavors. Visually, the vegetables should be fresh, free of impurities, and neither coarse nor broken. (Jinzhou)